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Mississippi State at Houston

This Saturday the Houston Cougars will look for a big win at home when they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Cougars took home a nice 42-23 win in their last game against Tulane, after suffering a tough loss at UCLA the previous week. Houston was not in action last week, so should be well rested and prepared for Mississippi State this weekend. The Bulldogs come in on a two game winning streak, as they defeated Alcorn State 49-16 at home last week after taking care of business against Georgia the previous week. The Cougars have won seven of eight against the Bulldogs, including a 31-24 win at Mississippi State last year. If you are thinking about betting on the game this weekend, the current odds have the Bulldogs favored by 5-points over the Cougars on the road.

Mississippi State (3-2, 1-2 SEC): The Bulldogs have got it done with both the pass and the run so far this season, as they come in averaging 220 yards through the air and 172 yards on the ground. The only losses on the season have been against Auburn and LSU, both of which are currently ranked in the top 12 in the country. The defense has really played well to start the season, as they are allowing just over 16 points a game, and have only allowed more than 20 points in one game this season.

While Chris Reif has taken the majority of the snaps for the Bulldogs continue to use backup freshman Tyler Russell quite a bit this season. In the Bulldogs last game against Alcorn State, Reif threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 11 of 14 passing, while Russell had 127 yards on 8 of 14 passing. Running back Vick Ballard had a nice game on the ground, rushing for 119 yards and three scores on just eight carries, while wide out Chad Bumphis had nine catches for 133 yards and two scores. Even though the defense has played well so far this season, the offense will likely have to score a few more points to secure the win this week against a good Houston offense.

Houston (3-1, 2-0 CUSA): The Cougars get ready for their fourth home game in their first five games of the season, and while the competition hasn’t been as good at home, they have looked much better on their home field. It could be tough for the Cougars offense to keep things rolling without star quarterback Case Keenum, who was lost for the season after tearing his ACL against UCLA. The Cougars also lost highly rated backup Cotton Turner for the season with a broken clavicle. The offense now relies on third string quarterback Terrance Broadway. Against Tulane Broadway threw for just 174 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

With Keenum and Turner out the Cougars appear to be focusing more on running the football, as they racked up 175 yards on the ground against Tulane. Bryce Beall led the way with 123 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries, and will likely continue to get close to 25 carries a game. Beall will have his work cut out for him this week, as the Bulldogs come in ranked 38th in the country allowing just 126 yards a game on the ground. If Beall can’t get it going the Cougars could be in a lot of trouble this weekend.

Looking at the Odds: I think you have to take the Bulldogs at -5 in this game, as I really think Mississippi State is going to control both sides of the football. I think Mississippi State will be able to really limit the damage Beall does on the ground, and I don’t have much trust in Broadway winning the game with his arm after watching him play last week. My final score prediction is Mississippi State 34, Houston 24.